Clinton hopes superdelegates will make the difference; Donnelly still uncommitted

May 07, 2008|By SAMUEL KING WSBT-TV Reporter

The dust has settled from the primary day battles. And even though one candidate came out on top in Indiana, will it matter in the long run?

Sen. Hillary Clinton narrowly won Indiana, but lost big in North Carolina. Now, she's trying to woo uncommitted superdelegates, who will likely decide who the nominee will be. U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly of Granger is one of those uncommitted superdelegates.

With 99 percent of Indiana precincts reporting, Clinton leads Obama by about 14,000 votes, but time is running out for Clinton in her race against Obama for the Democratic nomination.

Â?With his big landslide victory in North Carolina, not only is he further ahead of her in delegates, but he's also further ahead in total popular votes,Â? said Sean Savage, a political science professor at Saint MaryÂ?s College. Â?And the remaining primaries will probably be roughly split evenly between the two.Â?

Now, Clinton is trying to get the superdelegates on her side. She met with some of them in Washington, D.C., after campaigning in West Virginia.

"I believe that I am the stronger candidate against John McCain, we will continue to contest these elections," Sen. Clinton said.

Joe Donnelly had said he would wait until after the Indiana primary to make a decision.

Â?"I have not yet endorsed either candidate who is seeking the Democratic nomination,Â? he said Wednesday in a statement. Â?I do not know on what date I will endorse, but when I do, I will back the candidate I think would make the best president."

He also said a factor would be how the state voted and how the 2nd District voted. Both went for Hillary Clinton. However, St. Joseph and Elkhart counties went strongly for Obama.

Savage said that could make Donnelly's decision even more difficult.

Â?One thing Donnelly has to consider if he wants a long-term career as a congressman from this district, does he really want to alienate the most loyal Obama voters here,Â? Savage said.

Obama has given Donnelly campaign contributions, but Donnelly says that will not be a factor. Even so, Savage expects Donnelly to eventually throw his support behind Obama. Party leaders want those superdelegates to make a decision by early June.